


sense of place

by littleleotas



Series: Neira Ryder [3]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Schmoop, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 19:38:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12042837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleleotas/pseuds/littleleotas
Summary: For angelikitten and the Mass Effect Writers Circle: the prompt was, “These stars are nothing compared to the ones I’ve seen in your eyes.”





	sense of place

Neira never thought much about the stars. She was never romanced by the idea of adventuring through space, or setting foot on distant beautiful planets. The galaxy expanded to her in its people – humans, asari, turians, krogan. She was well-travelled as a matter of necessity, but the places themselves didn’t stick with her. Neither did she care much for the military; it was simply the most practical way to run away, and her diplomacy work gave her all the interpersonal interaction she needed.

The point, in all of this, was that she never paid much attention to places, geography, astronomy. It never seemed important, until Jaal asked her.

It was a warm, clear evening on Havarl as they lay on their backs side-by-side in the soft grass of the clearing. The air was still and full of sounds of the jungle. Animals moving unseen in the plants, softly calling to each other, in companionship, not in fear. Neira lazily stroked Jaal’s arm next to her as he pointed out stars with his other hand.

“That one, we call Laavon.”

“Llllaaaavonnn,” she repeated, rolling the word around her mouth.

Jaal chuckled. “It means ‘alone.’ Do you see how far it is from other stars?”

“How sad,” she said quietly.

“Mm.” He searched the sky for a moment. “Ah, those there, do you see the three in a row?”

She squinted in the direction he pointed. “Oh!”

“Those are the brightest, but if you look closely, you will see they are part of a picture.” He gestured widely, his hand spreading over the picture as if it slowly came into being under his palm.

Her mouth formed a small ‘o’ of recognition. “Like Orion!”

“O-ri-on?” Jaal slowly repeated.

“A constellation, a picture in the stars in the Milky Way,” she explained.

“What does ‘O-ri-on’ mean?”

She shrugged. “He’s a person. From Greek mythology, I think. I don’t really know.”

Jaal turned to face her, silently asking her to continue. She sighed, rolling over to return his gaze, and propped her head up on one hand.

“I never really…got into all that.”

“What, the stars?”

She shook her head.

Jaal laughed. “Oh, my darling one.”

“What?” she said, pouting briefly before breaking into a giggle.

“You live among the stars but you are not ‘into’ them.” He made air quotes with his fingers, smiling jovially.

“I don’t live among them,” she said, furrowing her brow and turning onto her back. “I live…”

“Yes?” Jaal said smoothly.

She nudged him with her upper arm. “Well, I don’t have to care about those stars anymore, anyway.” She gazed, for the first time in her life, intently at the sky, letting the magic of the twinkling stars resonate, twinging something in her heart. “I have these.”

“Dearest…” Jaal whispered, tracing the side of her face with one finger and turning her face toward him. “These stars are nothing compared to the ones I’ve seen in your eyes.”

Neira smiled, all tension melting away from her face instantaneously as Jaal leaned in to kiss her. Her eyes closed and his warmth enveloped her, his latent electricity coursing through her lips. She moaned into his mouth, pressing her body close to his.

He pulled back just enough to whisper, “Should we move this inside?”

She hummed a laugh, rolling herself on top of him, sitting up and intertwining their hands. “Nah,” she grinned, pressing her hips against his.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on Tumblr at avelakjar!


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